Stadler’s rail vehicle production plant has been inaugurated in Szolnok

Peter Kiss, Minister for Social Policy, Peter Spuhler, CEO of Stadler Rail Group and Ferenc Szalay, Mayor of Szolnok today inaugurated the rail vehicle production plant of Stadler in the industrial park of Szolnok. The investment is the result of the increased capacity need, which was generated by Stadler’s very successful performance on international tenders. It is also in line with the strategy, which aimed to integrate all activities of welding and painting of aluminium car-bodies for FLIRT trains. The new capacity will mean the creation of 200 new working places within the Group, and the production of 200 aluminium car-bodies per year. The FLIRT is Stadler’s most successful product, out of which 515 trains have been sold worldwide, including 60 vehicles for the Hungarian State Railways.
Stadler was granted the last licences and started the welding of the first trains in the beginning of March. Currently the plant is operating with a capacity of 60 car-bodies per year, which will proportionally increase with the number of employees. The first, already completed phase of the investment is valued at HUF 5 bn, and Stadler is ready to continue the extension of the plant with a CNC welding hall this year, which means approximately another HUF 5 bn investment value. According to the current plans, the welding and painting activity might be extended in the coming years with final assembly too. 
Stadler’s management made a decision on the expansion of the Group’s production capacity, because of the worldwide increase in the demand for its products. In line with this need, Stadler decided to expand in the CEE region, and integrate the remaining part of the so far outsourced welding and painting activity of FLIRT body-shells. As Stadler regards Hungary as a market of key importance, it decided to build up the additional capacity in Szolnok. Together with the capacity in Poland - Siedlce, the Group now possesses a very strong competence centre in the Central and Eastern European region. Stadler has been present in Szolnok since 2008, when the Swiss rolling stock manufacturer laid the foundation stone of the rail vehicle production plant inaugurated today. With the investment Stadler has also brought a technology and expertise to Szolnok, which is unique in Hungary.
 “I think I do not have to emphasize how delighted we are with the launch of production in Hungary. Stadler laid the foundation stone of this plant only less than a year ago, but thanks to the invaluable support of the authorities and every contributor party, we were able to start the production in March. With our maintenance depo in Pusztaszabolcs and the production plant here Szolnok, we can say that Stadler has become one of the most significant members of the Hungarian railway industry. Hungary has always been a key region for us, I really believe that this investment symbolizes our commitment to this market” - said Peter Spuhler, who is not only the president and chairman of Stadler, but also the majority owner of the Group.
Stadler’s plant in Szolnok is also taking part in the production of the FLIRT trains, out of which 30 had been ordered by the Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) at the end of 2007. According to the schedule of delivery, the plant joins the production process with the welding and painting of body shells of at least 7 FLIRTs in Szolnok. With this, the new trains for MÁV will represent a significant Hungarian share in the production. Stadler already started the delivery of the trains in January 2009, 2 months earlier than determined in the delivery agreement. The last trains of the new fleet will expectedly enter service in February 2010. 
Stadler Rail Group, the provider of customised system solutions for railed vehicle construction, has sites in Switzerland at Altenrhein, Bussnang and Winterthur, in Germany at Berlin-Pankow and Velten, in Poland at Siedlce, in Hungary at Budapest, Pusztaszabolcs and Szolnok and in Algeria at Algiers. The group employs more than 2,400 men and women. The best-known families of vehicles produced by the Stadler Rail Group are the GTW articulated power units with 453 trains sold, the Regio Shuttle RS1 with 402 trains sold, the FLIRT with 515 trains sold and the DOSTO double-deck rapid transit trains, of which 50 have been sold in the railway segment and the Variobahn, with sales of 255 vehicles and the newly developed Tango, with 90 vehicles sold in the tramway segment. Stadler also produces carriages and diesel-electric locomotives and is the world’s leading producer of rack-and-pinion railway vehicles.

Source: Transportweekly